THE BAD GUYS IN: raising princess

Girl Time

(A request from AlicornNorth )

Princess's bedroom pulsed with soft neon lights and upbeat K-pop playing low from her speaker dock. On the carpeted floor lay glittery nail polish, lip gloss tubes, magazines with folded corners, and a half-eaten bag of sour gummy worms. In the center of the chaos sat the Dream Squad—Princess Chesterfield and her four best friends—each lounging in oversized hoodies, fuzzy socks, and the kind of laughter that only comes from girls who have survived everything together.

Tonight was sacred.
Girl time.

No boys. No rules. No drama.
Just the five of them.

Claudine Wexler, the loudest of the bunch, was wearing torn black tights under pink plaid shorts and a vintage "Dead Queens Club" tee. She strummed her mini ukulele as she leaned back into Princess's beanbag chair. Her African wild dog tail flicked lazily while she fake-serenaded Laura.

Laura Vancount, the more refined Canadian lynx, had a sheet mask on her face and cucumbers over her eyes. She was dressed in a powder blue fleece set and had been giving Zoey brow tips while also trying to plan her boyfriend's party.

Kira Rue, the fiery red panda in basketball shorts and a hoodie that said "Fight Me (Pls Don't)," was arguing with Zoey Del Vicchio, the squad's newest and most unpredictable member.

Zoey wore lime green flared pants and a crop top that read "Chaos is a Form of Art". Her Filipino-Brazilian curls were piled in a messy pineapple bun, and she was covered in glitter.

Princess, in a pink fuzzy robe and hair tied in space buns, was scrolling through her phone.

"Oh! Oh my actual fluff—you guys remember that time Wolf came back from Piranha's brother's party absolutely trashed?" she asked, giggling.

Claudine perked up. "You mean when he kissed his car thinking it was Diane?"

"That's the one."

Laura peeked out from under her cucumber slices. "No freaking way, you got that on video?"

"Oh, absolutely I do." Princess smirked, pulling out her iPhone with the pink rhinestone case. "Feast your eyes."

The video played, and on screen, a drunken Mr. Wolf stumbled into the garage, hugging the hood of his vintage black convertible.

"Mwah, mwah—I love you soooo much, my foxy Diane~"

The girls exploded in laughter.

"Oh my Brazil nuts, this is GOLD!" Zoey wheezed.

"I can't—how is he even a criminal mastermind?" Laura snorted.

"I know right?" Princess grinned. "And he hugged the windshield. Like, full-on cuddle."

Unbeknownst to them, Mr. Wolf himself was standing just outside the slightly ajar bedroom door, holding a mug of tea. He'd come upstairs to remind Princess to turn down the music—but once he heard his name, he froze. Then he listened. And winced.

Inside, the girls were catching their breath when Laura sat up. "Okay ladies. Crunch time. What do we do about Alexei's party?"

Zoey raised a brow. "Who's Alexei?"

"Oh right," Claudine jumped in. "You haven't met him yet. Alexei is Laura's smoking hot red-maned lion boyfriend. He's from Russia. Went to the Los Angeles School of Cosmetic Academy. He does, like, eyeliner art. Like—surgically."

Laura flushed. "He's not that hot..."

"He literally made eyeliner look like a Monet painting," Princess said, deadpan.

Laura buried her face in her hands.

"Anyway!" Princess clapped. "Ideas. Go."

Claudine, sitting up, declared, "Emocore. Black and hot pink. Glitter skulls. Chains. Fishnets. Boom."

Laura countered, "A cozy Wonderland theme. Like a tea party, but elevated. Silk throws, neon mushrooms, little cupcakes. The vibe."

Kira, bouncing in place, shouted, "Chinese Lantern Festival! Lights everywhere, food stalls, lucky cats, mooncakes!"

"Disney villains!" Zoey shouted. "You can dress as whoever you want: Maleficent, Ursula, Yzma, whatever! And we all get to be deliciously evil."

They all started arguing.

"Tea parties are for babies!"

"You wanna hang lanterns inside a club?!"

"You're just scared to look hot as Cruella—"

"Girls! Enough!" Princess raised her voice, startling them all into silence.

She took a breath. "Why don't we just... mash them all together?"

Laura blinked. "That sounds like madness."

"Exactly," Claudine grinned. "Mad Emo Wonderland Chinese Villain Rave. I'm in."

Princess nodded. "We glow under blacklight, wear Laura's neon fashion, and everyone gets a little slice of chaos."

Zoey tossed glitter in the air. "Just the right amount of neon and rebellion. It'll be super lit!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well..." Kira grinned. "Except for the bad guys. You really think they're gonna let you go to lion's den?"

"Wolf?" Claudine rolled her eyes. "Please. That man is a fun sponge. One time he got defensive when he saw a couple of boys talking to her for asking for directions"

Princess groaned, tossing her face into a pillow. "He still sees me as five-foot-one, hot pink hair, sparkly shoes, and tiny tiaras. I am FIFTEEN."

"Girl, we know," Zoey said. "It's time."

Claudine smirked. "Okay, I got this. We tell them we're helping my mom with a graphic design install. She has that gig downtown, remember? Easy hour, we bounce in, bounce out. Piece of cake."

"Liar cake," Kira added.

The girls cheered, fists in the air. The plan was set.

Except... Mr. Wolf stood outside, jaw clenched.

His baby girl?
Lying?

Going to the lion's den?

Over his dead convertible.

He didn't barge in. Not yet. He just sipped his tea.

She thought she could outsmart him.

Not today.